The President of Ukraine said in the European Parliament: “We are protecting you”

President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelenskyassured this Thursday in Brussels that by resisting the Russian offensive, his country is also defending Europe, in a speech before the European Parliament, which was met with a standing ovation.

“We are defending ourselves against the most anti-European force in the modern world. We are defending ourselves and we are defending you,” the Ukrainian president said, according to the translation of his speech, before the extraordinary plenary session.

Visiting London and Paris on Wednesday, Zelensky landed this Thursday in the Belgian capital to attend the leaders’ summit European Union (EU) and was given a hero’s welcome.

This was stated by the President of the European Parliament Roberta Metsola, having received Zelensky What “Ukraine “This is Europe, and the future of your country is in the European Union.”

According to Metsola, EU countries “must now consider providing the long-range systems and fighter jets needed to protect the kind of freedom that many see as guaranteed.”

Metsola’s phrase is a reference to the central point of the visit Zelensky: to convince the European allies to speed up the supply of arms, as well as cede Ukraine fighters.

“Our response must be proportionate to the threat. And the threat is existential,” Metsola said.

Wednesday evening Zelensky In Paris, he held meetings with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Prime Minister Olaf Scholz.

Before this European mini-tour, Zelensky In December, he made a lightning visit to Washington where he met with US President Joe Biden at the White House.

In the latest draft of the summit’s final declaration, the leaders note that “EU support for the independence, sovereignty and integrity of the territory Ukraine within its internationally recognized boundaries (…) remains unshakable.”

The draft document, which the AFP news agency had access to, reiterates “strong condemnation of the war of aggression against Russia against Ukrainewhich constitutes a clear violation of the UN Charter.”

Ukraine is waiting for EU membership

Before the Russian advance Ukraine He called for early accession to the EU, although many leaders of the bloc reminded that this process is extremely complicated and usually takes several years, and in some cases more than a decade.

In the draft declaration, the EU “recognizes” the efforts Ukraine to this accession and encourages him to “continue to follow this path and comply with the conditions” set by the European Commission (the EU’s executive body).

In this regard, Zelensky assured this Thursday in Brussels that his country “will be a member European Union”and praised the ‘positive assessment’ of the reforms that Kyiv is pursuing at the same time as it is ‘fighting to defend itself’ against Russian invasion.

“For the first time in its history, the European Union is providing military assistance on such a huge scale, and I see a positive assessment of the reforms in a country that is modernizing and at the same time fighting to defend itself,” he said. .

“We are approaching the European Union, Ukraine will be a member European Union”, said Zelensky to the applause of the extraordinary plenary session of the European Parliament convened this Thursday for his visit.